The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

western gazette

The western
gazette

Founded in
1863

In
1863 a reporter
on the Bridport
News called
Charles Clinker moved
to Yeovil and,
while living in
a rented cottage
in Brunswick
Street, he founded
his own
newspaper which
he called 'The
Western
Gazette'.

The
first issue was
bought out on
Saturday, 21
February 1863.
The main reason
for Charles
Clinker moving
to Yeovil was
the recently
completed rail
links which
radiated across
the region,
thereby
facilitating
distribution of
his newspapers.

Charles went
into partnership
with
Charles
Tite, and
together they
acquired the
rival Yeovil
newspaper, the
century-old
Western Flying
Post. They
combined the two
papers under the
heading of 'The
Western Gazette
and Flying Post'
on 21 June 1867. The newspaper proved
extremely
popular and its
growth in
circulation caused
a move to
purpose-built
premises in
Sherborne Road
(see photograph
below) in 1870,
on the corner of
Lower Middle
Street and
Newton Road.
In 1872 the
words 'Flying
Post' were
dropped and the
newspaper became
simply 'The
Western
Gazette'. In 1886
Charles Clinker
died of a heart
attack in a
London hotel
while on a
business trip.
He was aged just 51.

By the turn
of the century
the papers
continued
growth, combined
with the need
for improved
printing
presses,
necessitated a
move to new
premises. These
new premises
were built on
the opposite
corner of Newton
Road, with the
foundation stone
being laid by
Litunga Lewanika
(1842-1916), King
of Barotseland
(1878-1916), now
the western part
of Zambia, in
1902 who visited
Yeovil while he
was in England
for the
coronation of
Edward VII.

The offices
were officially opened
in 1906.
The building was
designed by
Bristol
architects
Oakley &
Lawrence and built
in the
Renaissance
style, the
frontage is 45
feet high and
the facade along
Sherborne Road
and Newton Road
stretches a
total of 141
feet. The
construction
company was Bird
& Pippard,
builders and
undertakers of
Middle Street.
The new building was
constructed
using 600,000
bricks on a
steel-girder
framework
(erected by
FW Sibley & Co) and
features
honey-coloured
Bath stone
dressings. The
head of the
winged messenger
god Mercury,
above the door
on the corner,
was carved by
Gilbert Seale of
London. Mercury
was the patron
god of
eloquence,
messages and
communication -
hence his
representation
on the fabric of
the Western
Gazette. However
he was also the
patron god of
financial gain,
commerce,
trickery and
thieves and was,
further, the
guide of souls
to the
underworld.
Which begins to
make altogether
more sense when
connected to
newspapermen!
The clock above
was erected by
Yeovil jeweller
EM Seddon of the
Borough. It
was described as
"an ornament and
an honour to
Yeovil." At the
time of opening
in 1906, 120
employees worked
in the building.

In 1907 the
old offices, on
the opposite
corner of Newton
Road from the
new offices,
were sold off.
The notice of
sale,
illustrated
below, gives an
excellent
description of
the layout,
usage and number
of rooms in the
old building.

It was built
as a combination
of factory and
offices with a
500-ton concrete
base designed
specifically to
accommodate the
huge weight and
movement of
printing
presses. The
original
triple-decker
printing
equipment was
capable of
producing 24,000
newspapers an
hour and was
housed in an
80-foot long
printing room.
There was also a
composing room
which housed
'hot metal'
linotype and
monotype setting
machines.

In 1925 a new
four-deck
printing press
was installed,
capable of
printing 36,000
copies of the
newspaper an
hour. The old
three-deck press
was retained and
used to print
other newspapers
owned by the
company. A third
printing press,
second hand,
was acquired in
1939 from Fleet
Street, London, and housed
in an annex in
Newton Road,
effectively
doubling print
output.

The Western
Gazette was sold
to Bristol
United Press in
1965 and the
printing press
was relocated to
the Lufton
Trading Estate
in the 1990s.
Since the 1980s
newspaper
production has
increasingly
relied on
computerisation.
As a consequence
many staff were
relocated and
the offices on
the corner of
Newton Road
finally closed
in 2010. The
building is
currently (2016)
being converted
to flats.

Yeovilians
remember...

Many
thanks
to
Robert
Bond for
the
following
-
"The
newspaper
was
indeed
purchased
by the
Bristol
United
Press in
1965,
and the
press
remained
at
Sherborne
Road
until it
was
dismantled
in the
early
1990s
and a
new
litho
(the old
press
was
letterpress)
was
built at
the
purpose
built
hall at
Lufton,
just
north of
the
football
ground.
The
invoice
you
illustrate
was
printed
by the
little
known
General
Printing
Department
(where I
worked
from
1966 to
1993,
when it
was
closed
down)
located
on the
first
floor
above
the
loading
bay on
Sherborne
Road. We
were
mainly
commercial
printers
and had
a
bookbindery
in the
room
with the
windows
to the
left in
the
photograph
on the
same
floor.
The
bookbinder
took
early
retirement
in 1986
but we
continued
to sent
bindery
work to
him
until we
closed
(he then
retired
and I
took
over the
bookbinding
for the
last 23
years).
When I
mention
working
at the
Gazette
most
people
assume I
was on
the
paper
and they
are
surprised
to hear
that
there
was a
commercial
printing
department."

GALLERY

Charles
Tite, left,
and Charles
Clinker, the
joint
proprietors
of The
Western
Gazette.
Photographed
around 1880.

From my
collection

A headed
memorandum
from the
Editor,
dated 1
March 1886,
in reference
to an
enquiry
concerning
the repeal
of the Corn
Law in 1845.

The
Western
Gazette
offices,
photographed
in 1895,
on the
corner of
Newton Road
running off
to the left
and Middle
Street off
to the
right. This
was before
the new
building was
built on the
opposite
corner in
1906. This
building,
purpose-built
for the
Western
Gazette in
1870,
still
survives but
is now
flats.

The News
Composing
Room from
the 1895
edition of
the Western
Gazette
Almanac.

The
Stereotyping
Room from
the 1895
edition of
the Western
Gazette
Almanac.

The
printing
press, known
as the
'Victory
News
Machine',
from the
1895 edition
of the
Western
Gazette
Almanac.

The
General
Printing
Room from
the 1895
edition of
the Western
Gazette
Almanac.

This notice
of sale
comes from
the Western
Gazette's
edition of 3
May 1907
when the old
offices on
the opposite
corner of
Newton Road
from the new
offices were
sold off.
The notice
gives an
excellent
description
of the
layout,
usage and
number of
rooms in the
building.

Mayor
Sidney Watts
and Litunga
Lewanika
(1842-1916), King
of Barotseland
(1878-1916) -
now the western
part of Zambia -
at the
Mansion House
on 5 June 1902.
The king was in
England to
attend the
coronation of
Edward VII but
while in Yeovil
he laid the
foundation stone
of the new
Western Gazette
building.

King Litunga
Lewanika of Barotseland
(at almost
dead centre,
wearing a
silk top
hat) leaves
the old
Western
Gazette
building and
walks
through the
crowds to
lay the
foundation
stone of the
new Western
Gazette
premises.
Photographed
in 1902.

King Litunga
Lewanika of Barotseland
(in silk top
hat, just
below and
slightly to
the left of
the flags)
performs the
foundation
ceremony of
the new
building in
June 1902.
At the top
of the
photograph
is
Osborne
House.

The early
days of
construction,
with some of
the 600,000
bricks being
unloaded
from the
horse-drawn
delivery
cart of Fred
Bird. The
construction
company was
Bird &
Pippard,
builders and
undertakers
of Middle
Street. The
structural
steelwork
frame was
erected by
FW Sibley &
Co.

Courtesy of the
Western Gazette

More
horse-drawn
deliveries, this
time part of the
carved stone
arch above the
main entrance.

The second
lift under
way,
probably
photographed
in 1903.
Note the
internal
structural
steelwork
visible
through the
two windows
above the
entrance.

The new
Western
Gazette
building
under
construction
in 1905.

From my
collection

A
publicity
postcard,
produced for
the opening
of the new
building in
1906. This
card was
posted in
1907.

From my
collection

A
postcard of
about 1910
looking
towards
Townsend
and
featuring
the
newly-built
Western
Gazette
offices on
the corner
of Newton
Road. I have
two slightly
different
postcards
with this
image, one
unused and
the other
posted in
1913.

A
hand-coloured,
unused
postcard
showing more
of Sherborne
Road and a
sunrise sky.

From my
collection

A Western
Gazette
advertisement
in a Yeovil
Guide of the
late 1920s.

The 1906
Western
Gazette
building -
closed and
photographed
in 2013.

A
photograph
of the
composing
room,
probably
taken during
the 1930s,
where
typesetting
was carried
out
manually.

Courtesy of
Rob Baker

The Western
Gazette's
new rotary
press room
was the
square
building at
far right,
behind the
car. This
particular
part of the
building is
rarely seen
in
photographs
as it was
later
demolished.
It was built
in 1938 (see
the
datestone in
the next
photo) to
house the
new rotary
press shown
below. The
structural
steelwork
was supplied
and erected
by FW Sibley
& Co Ltd of
Yeovil and
the new
machine room
was built
and
alterations
to the
existing
premises
were carried
out by
Pippard &
Perry of
Yeovil.

Courtesy of
Colin Haine

The rotary
press
building
photographed
in 1983.
Note the
1938
datestone at
the top, and
in between,
the two
ground floor
windows.

Courtesy of
Colin Haine

The 1938
datestone,
enlarged
from the
previous
photograph.

Courtesy of
Rob Baker

The Western
Gazette's
new rotary
press,
installed in
August 1939.

From my
collection

An invoice
from the
Western
Gazette,
dated 1942,
for reprints
of
photographs.
The masthead
indicates
that the
Western
Gazette were
printers,
bookbinders
and
stationers
in addition
to
publishing
their
newspapers.

A 1940's
newspaper
advertisement
for the
Western
Gazette
series of
papers.

From my
collection

The Western
Gazette's
advertisement in
the 1953 Yeovil
Guide.

Rolls of
newsprint
being
delivered to
the Western
Gazette. I
well
remember
this
frequently
blocking the
road and
halting
traffic
while the
lorry backed
into the
narrow
entrance,
but
strangely
nobody
seemed to
mind at the
time.

From my
collection

The Western
Gazette
advertisement
in the 1970
Yeovil Town
Guide.

The
impressive
entrance on
the corner
of Lower
Middle
Street and
Newton Road.
Photographed
in 2013.

Mercury
was the
patron god
of
eloquence,
messages and
communication
- hence his
representation
on the
fabric of
the Western
Gazette.
However he
was also the
patron god
of financial
gain,
commerce,
trickery and
thieves and
was also the
guide of
souls to the
underworld.
Which begins
to make
altogether
more sense
when
connected to
newspapermen!!!
The head of
Mercury was
carved by
Gilbert
Seale of
London.

The clock
above was
erected by
Yeovil
jeweller EM
Seddon of
the Borough.
Photographed
in 2013.

Oh, the
ignominy!
Photographed
as I passed
by the
building,
January
2015, and
featured in
the Western
Gazette
edition of 5
February
2015, albeit
without
credit to me
as
photographer.